Material handling container



y 1969 s. J. JURASEK MATERIAL HANDLING CONTAINER Sheet Filed July 21, 1967 INVENTOR. STANLEY \J. JURASEK FIG. 2

k wLx'baz ATTORNEYS May 6, 1969 s. .1. JURASEK MATERIAL HANDLING CONTAINER Sheet Filed July 21, 1967 6 m I T Q. I m 5 WW II! D. P.\ l. I Q40 T a u u .2 we 2 3 w m 7 3 g M w l H; l T 0 W E 5 l 0 I 2 a m A mm a 3 n j s q :1 f: a 1: MN m n W h l, X F 1 m LT. W m P H m 1 v h l I a a L a ll Q 4 F R Q h ATTORNEY$ y 1969 5. J. JURASEK 3,442,231

MATERIAL HANDLING CONTAINER Filed July 21, 1967 INVENTOR.

FIG. IO STANLEY d. duRAsEK M M 41m M ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,442,231 MATERIAL HANDLING CONTAINER Stanley J. Jurasek, Albion, Mich., assignor to Union Steel Products Company, Albion, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Filed July 21, 1967, Ser. No. 655,172 Int. Cl. B65d 19/38 US. Cl. 108-53 21 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The material handling container disclosed herein comprises a deck bed made of conventional structural shapes joined together to form a peripheral frame. A pocket defining structure is provided in each corner of said peripheral frame to define a substantially square pocket, and a leg member is selectively positioned in each pocket. Each leg member has a lower portion with a downwardly facing recess for engaging the top edge of an underlying container when the containers are stacked. The upper portion of each leg has a portion which extends into said pocket and another portion which defines a shoulder that abuts one of the peripheral frame members. A deck mat is secured to the deck bed and comprises a plurality of slats including a lower series of spaced slats fixed to said deck bed and an upper series of spaced slats fixed to said lower series and said deck bed. Grid-like wall panels are hinged to the deck mat. Some of the walls include generally horizontal slats secured to opposite sides of vertical slats. A helical coil defines a hinge between said walls and said deck mat.

This invention relates to material handling containers and particularly to collapsible walled containers which can be stacked.

The helical coil is threaded between said laterally extending slats of said walls and around one of said upper slats on said deck mat with said helical coil located inwardly of the junction between the wall and deck mat to provide a hinge between said wall panel and said deck mat. Additional helical coils define hinges between other wall panels. Lock means are provided between adjacent panels to hold the panels in upright position.

Background of the invention The invention relates to a material handling container and particularly to a collapsible walled pallet of the type which comprises a deck of grid-like construction and walls of grid-like construction and which may be stacked with stability even though non-uniform loads are carried by the containers.

Among the objects of the invention are .to provide a materials handling container that has a novel deck bed that has a rigid frame around the extreme dimensions of the deck that is capable of supporting heavy loads and withstanding the variously directed shocks and stresses encountered in handling of heavy materials, by means of powered pallet trucks; has a novel foot construction that makes the deck bed adaptable to stacking sidewise or endwise; has a novel hinge arrangement thereon for hinging the walls to the deck mat wherein the possibility of injury to personnel, damage to contained product, or injury to the hinge itself is minimized; that can be economically produced, manufactured and maintained using commercially available materials; and has a wall system where the walls singly, or in opposite pairs, are hinged near their center to provide access to contents along the full dimension of the deck while the containers are stacked one atop another.

Summary The material handling container disclosed herein comprises a deck bed made of conventional structural shapes joined together to form a peripheral frame. A pocket defining structure is provided in each corner of said peripheral frame to define a substantially square pocket, and a leg member is selectively positioned in each pocket. Each leg member' has a lower portion with a downwardly facing recess for engaging the top edge of an underlying container when the containers are: stacked. The upper portion of each leg has a portion which extends into said pocket and another portion which defines a shoulder that abuts one of the peripheral frame members. A deck mat is secured to the deck bed and comprises a plurality of slats including a lower series of spaced slats fixed to said deck bed and an upper series of spaced slats fixed to said lower series and said deck bed. Grid-like wall panels are hinged to the deck mat. Some of the walls include generally horizontal slats secured to opposite sides of vertical slats. A helical coil defines a. hinge between said walls and said deck mat.

The helical coil is threaded between said laterally extending slats of said walls and around one of said upper slats on said deck mat with said helical coil located inwardly of the junction between the wall and deck mat to provide a hinge between said wall panel and said deck mat. Additional helical coils define hinges between other wall panels. Lock means are provided between adjacent panels to hold the panels in upright position.

Description 09 the drawings FIG. 1 is a fragmentary part sectional view of a collapsible container embodying the invention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of a portion of the container shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a leg utilized in the container.

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the deck bed utilized in the container.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 55 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5a is a fragmentary sectional. view of a modified form of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing the leg in a dilferent position.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary view similar to FIG. 1 showing the parts in folded position.

FIG. 8 is a partly diagrammatic perspective view showing the container with the Walls in upright position.

FIG. 8a is a. partly diagrammatic perspective view of a modified form of container.

FIG. 9 is a View similar to FIG. 8 showing the walls in partially folded position.

FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIGS. 8 and 9 showing the walls in fully folded position.

Description Referring to FIG. 1, the collapsible container 10 embodying the invention comprises a deck bed 11 having legs 12 secured thereto and a deck mat 13 secured thereto. Side walls 14 are hinged to the deck bed as presently described and end walls 15 are hinged about vertical axes to one of the side walls so that the side walls and end walls can be folded inwardly for storage and shipment as shown in FIGS. 8-10 and as is well known in the art.

Referring to FIG. 4, the deck bed 11 comprises a peripheral frame made of structural members. Specifically, the deck bed is formed of upwardly facing U-shaped channel sections and comprises side members 16 and end member 17 extending between the ends of the side members 16. Intermediate end members 18 extend between the side members 16 and parallel spaced relation to the end members 17. Intermediate side members 19' extend between the intermediate members 18 in spaced parallel relation to the side members 16. Finally, inner members 20 extend between the intermediate side members 19 in spaced parallel relation to the end members 17 and intermediate members 18. The members are secured to one another by welds W. Pocket defining structures are provided at the corners of the peripheral frame and comprise channel sections 21 which are welded between the intermediate and end member 18, 17 at the corners to define the leg receiving pockets P which are square and receive a portion of the leg 12 as presently described.

Referring to FIG. 3, each leg 12 is made of two pieces welded together and comprising a flat strip 22 that includes a vertical wall 23, a horizontal bearing surface 24 and an end 25 that is bent upwardly to define a recess R which engages the walls of the pallet when the pallet is stacked. The other member 26 of the foot is U-shaped and includes spaced walls 27 that have their vertical ends welded to the vertical wall 23. The uppermost portions 28 of the walls 27 cooperate with the upper end of the wall 23 to define a square projection which is received in a pocket P. The walls 27 and connecting wall 29 have their upper ends cut away to form a shoulder 30 that is adapted to abut one of the peripheral frame members of the deck bed. As shown in FIG. 2, the leg can be inserted in the pocket so that shoulder 30 engages a side member 16 and the recess 25 extends parallel to the side member 16. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 6, the leg can be inserted so that the shoulder 30 engages an end member 17 and the recess R extends parallel to the end member. In this fashion, the container can be adapted to an arrangement wherein the recesses engage either the side or end walls depending upon the manner in which the containers are to be stacked As shown in FIGS. 1, and 7, the deck mat 13 comprises a lower series of slats or rods 31 which extend in parallel relation to the end members 17 and a second series of slats or rods 32 that extend in parallel relationship to the side members 16. As shown in FIG. 5, the slats 31 terminate short of the end members 17 and the slat members 32 are bent downwardly into engagement with the end members 17. The slats 31, 32 are welded to one another and to the deck bed with which they are in engagement.

As shown in FIG. 1, the endmost upper slat 32 is spaced from the edge of the side members 16. The lower portion of the wall 14 has horizontal or laterally extending slats 33 on each side of the vertical slats 34. The hinge between the walls 14 and the deck mat 13 is formed by a wire helical coil 35 that is threaded between the slats 33 and around the endmost slat 35. In this fashion, the helical coil defines a hinge between the wall 14 and the deck mat which hinge is protected and extends inwardly so that the danger of injury to the helical coil is minimized.

In the form of deck mat shown in FIG. 5a, the end members 17 have the same vertical depth as the intermediate members 18 so that the rods 32a are straight throughout and do not have the downwardly bent portion as shown in FIG. 5.

In the form of the invention shown in FIG. 8a, the wall 14 comprises two portions interconnected by a helical coil to define a portion that may be swung downwardly and thereby provide access to the contents of the container even though the containers are stacked.

I claim:

1. In a material handling container, the combination comprising:

a deck bed made up of structural members joined at the ends to form a peripheral frame,

a pocket defining structure at each corner of said deck bed, I

and a leg member selectively positioned in each of said pockets,

each leg having a downward portion having a downward facing recess,

the upper portion of each leg having a portion projecting into said pocket and another portion defining a shoulder abutting at least one peripheral frame member,

a deck mat secured to said deck bed and comprising aplurality of slats including a lower series of spaced slats fixed to said deck bed and an upper series of spaced slats fixed to said deck bed and to said lower series,

and a grid-like wall system,

some of said walls being hinged to said deck mat,

said last-mentioned walls including generally horizontal slats secured to opposite sides of vertical slats,

and a helical coil defining said hinge between said last-mentioned walls and said deck mat,

said helical coil being threaded between said horizontal slats of said walls and around one of said upper series of slats in the deck mat with said helical coil facing inwardly of the wall juncture.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein said slats in said spaced lower series of slats terminate short of the structural members,

said upper series of slats having their ends deformed downwardly into engagement with said structural members.

3. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein each said leg is made up of a first member and a U-shaped member,

said first member having a vertical wall,

a horizontal bearing wall,

and a free end shaped to form said downwardly extendin-g recess,

said U-shaped member being secured to said vertical wall and said free end and having an upper end which cooperates with the upper portion of said vertical wall to define said projection and a recess to define said shoulder abutting one of said structural members.

4. In a material handling container, the combination comprising:

a deck bed made up of structural members joined at the ends to form a peripheral frame,

a pocket defining structure at each corner of said deck bed,

and a leg member selectively positioned in each of said pockets,

each leg having a downward portion having a downward facing recess,

the upper portion of each leg having a portion projecting into said pocket and another portion defining a shoulder abutting at least one peripheral frame member.

5. The combination set forth in claim 4 wherein said slats in said spaced lower series of slats terminate short of the structural members,

said upper series of slats having their ends deformed downwardly into engagement with said structural members. a

6. The combination set forth in claim 4 wherein each said leg is made up of a first member and a 'U-shaped member,

said first member having a vertical wall,

a horizontal bearing wall,

and a free end shaped to form said downwardly extending recess,

said U-shaped member being secured to said vertical wall and said free end and having an upper end which cooperates with the upper portion of said vertical wall to define said projection and a recess to define said shoulder abutting one of said structural members.

7. In a material handling container, the combination comprising:

a deck bed made up of structural members joined at the ends to form a peripheral frame,

a plurality of slats including a lower series of spaced slats fixed to said deck bed and an upper series of spaced slats fixed to said deck bed and to said lower series,

and a grid-like wall system,

some of said walls being hinged to said deck mat,

said last-mentioned walls including generally horizontal slats secured to opposite sides of vertical slats,

and a helical coil defining said hinge between said lastmentioned walls and said deck mat,

said helical coil being threaded between said horizontal slats of said walls and around one of said upper series of slats in the deck mat with said helical coil facing inwardly of the wall juncture.

8. The combination set forth in claim 7 wherein some of said last-mentioned walls are defined and hinged along a central horizontal line and lock means are provided for holding said walls in upright position.

9. The combination set forth in claim 7 including upwardly projecting lugs at the extreme ends of the topmost series of horizontal slats of the walls.

10. In a material handling container, the combination comprising:

a deck bed made of upwardly facing channel section members and including side members,

end members extending between the ends of said side members,

and intermediate members parallel to said end members and extending between said side members,

and a pocket defining channel section extending at each corner of said deck bed between said end member and said intermediate member to define a substantially square pocket,

a leg member selectively positioned in each said pocket and having a lower portion with a downwardly extending recess,

the upper portion of said leg having a portion projecting into said pocket and another portion defining a shoulder engaging one of said side and said end members,

a deck mat secured to said deck bed and comprising a plurality of slats including a lower series of spaced slats fixed to said channel members and an upper series of spaced slats fixed to said lower series,

and grid-like walls,

some of said walls being hinged to said deck,

said last-mentioned walls including generally horizontal slats secured to opposite sides of vertical slats,

and a helical coil defining a hinge between said walls and said deck,

said helical coil being threaded between said horizontal slats of said walls and around one of said upper series of slats on said deck bed with said helical coil facing inwardly of said wall.

11. The combination set forth in claim 10 wherein said deck bed includes intermediate side members extending between said intermediate end members and parallel to said side members.

12. The combination set forth in claim 11 including inner end members extending between said last-mentioned intermediate side members and parallel to said end members and said intermediate end members.

13. The combination set forth in claim 10 wherein said slats in said spaced lower series of slats terminate short of the end members,

said upper series of slats having their ends deformed downwardly into engagement with said end members.

14. The combination set forth in claim 10 wherein each said leg is made up of a first member and a U- shaped member,

said first member having a. vertical wall,

a horizontal bearing wall,

and a free end shaped to form said downwardly extending recess,

said U-shaped member being secured to said vertical wall and said free end and having an upper end which cooperates with the upper portion of said vertical wall to define said square projection and a recess to define said shoulder abutting the face of one of said side and end members.

15. In a material handling deck bed, the combination comprising:-

upwardly facing channel section members and including side members,

end members extending between the end-s of. said side members,

and intermediate members parallel to said end members and extending between said side members,

and a pocket defining channel section extending at each corner of said deck bed between said end members and said intermediate members to define a substantially square pocket,

a leg member selectively positioned in each said pocket and having a lower portion with a downwardly extending recess,

the upper portion of said leg having a portion projecting into said pocket and another portion defining a shoulder engaging one of said side and said end members.

16. The'combination set forth in claim 15 wherein said deck bed includes intermediate side members extending between said intermediate end members and parallel to said side members.

17. The combination set forth in claim 16 including inner end members extending between said last-mentioned intermediate side member and parallel to said end members and said intermediate end members.

18. The combination set forth in claim 6 wherein each said leg is made up of a first member and a U- shaped member,

said first member having a vertical wall,

a horizontal bearing wall, and

a free end shaped to form said downwardly extending recess,

said U-shaped member being secured to said vertical wall and said free end and having an upper end which cooperates with the upper portion of said vertical wall to define said square projection and a recess to define said shoulder abutting the face of one of said side and end members.

19. In a material handling container, the combination comprising a deck bed made of upwardly facing channel section members and including side members,

end members extending between the ends of said side members,

a deck mat secured to said deck bed and comprising a plurality of slats including a lower series of spaced slats fixed to said channel members and an upper series of spaced slats fixed to said channel members and to said lower series,

and grid-like walls,

some of said walls being hinged to said deck mat,

said last-mentioned walls including generally horizontal slats secured to opposite sides of vertical slats,

and a helical coil defining a hinge between said walls and said deck,

said helical coil being threaded between said laterally extending slats of said walls and around one of said upper series of slats on said deck bed with said helical coil facing inwardly of said wall.

20. The combination set forth in claim 19 wherein each said slat of said spaced lower series of slats terminates short of the end members,

said upper series of slats having their ends deformed downwardly into engagement with said end members.

21. In a material handling container, the combination comprising:

a deck bed made up of upwardly facing channel section members in the form of a peripheral frame joined at the corners,

intermediate structural members extending between and joined to opposite elements in the peripheral frame,

and a pocket defining structure at each corner of said deck bed,

and a leg member selectively positioned in each of said pockets,

each leg having a downward portion having a downward facing recess,

the upper portion of each leg having a portion projecting into said pocket and another portion defining a shoulder abutting one of said peripheral frame members,

a deck mat secured to said deck bed and comprising a plurality of slats including a lower series of spaced slats fixed to said deck bed and an upper series of spaced slats fixed to said deck bed and to said lower series,

and a grid-like wall system,

some of said walls being hinged to said deck mat,

said last-mentioned walls including generally horizontal slats secured to opposite sides of vertical slats,

and a helical coil defining said hinge between said lastmentioned walls and said deck mat,

said helical coil being threaded between said horizontal slats of said walls and around one of said upper series of slats in the deck mat with said helical coil facing inwardly of the wall juncture,

some of said last-mentioned walls being divided and hinged along a central horizontal line and equipped with lock means on both panels,

some of said walls having upward projecting lugs at extreme ends of the topmost series of horizontal slats of the walls.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,666,552 1/1954 Coit 108-53 XR 2,680,587 6/1954 Averill 108-53 2,733,884 2/1956 Averill 10853 XR 2,776,775 1/1957 Averill 108-53 XR 2,781,184 2/1957 Averill 108-53 2,809,796 10/1957 Averill 10853 2,844,278 7/1958 Averill 10853 XR 2,909,348 10/1959 Averill 10853 2,667,319 1/1954 Coit 10853 BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner.

G. O. FINCH, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 

